Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) was launched in 2001 to provide people with mood disorders, their families and caregivers a strong, cohesive voice at the national level on issues relating to mental health and mental illness. We have evolved to become one of Canada's leading mental health NGOs with a demonstrated track record for forging and maintaining meaningful and sustained partnerships built on trust and mutual respect with the public, private and non-profit sectors throughout Canada.

2nd Annual Pan-Canadian Defeat Depression Mental Health Campaign Starts this Weekend!

This is the only Pan-Canadian multi-organizational, family-based mental health campaign consisting of walks, runs, rides and other activities. Due to overwhelming demand we have made the campaign even better. With our new software platform you can now register online in five minutes. Either join an established event in your community, or set up your own activity wherever you are. Walk, ride, dance, or do any other fun activity with friends or loved ones!

Physical activity and social interactions have a positive effect on our mental health and they help tackle depression. These events across Canada are the perfect way for family, friends, co-workers and persons who are affected by depression to all come out and support positive mental health!

This May 25-26 weekend, we want you to take a walk, run, bike ride or any other activity for mental health and Move for Mental Health along with thousands of other Canadians.

Here's how...

1. LOOK FOR AN EVENT in your community and register as an individual, or form a team (it takes 5 minutes - and is very easy).
2. HOLD YOUR OWN ACTIVITY. If a formal event is not planned in your town or city, plan your own "Move for Mental Health" activity. **If you aren't available this weekend, plan for another time. This activity site is open after this weekend as well!
3. SET UP your personalized campaign page. If you wish, add a personal reason why this campaign is important to you and your family and friends, and share a picture if you want to.
4. SET A FUNDRAISING GOAL. Your personal site will allow you to set a fundraising goal and lets you send out emails and social media updates directly from your personalized page. Your family and friends will love following your progress.
5. SUPPORT your community mental health organization that is hosting the local event, and help the Defeat Depression Campaign that provides all the resources and supports for all the local organizations across the country. Your donations make a difference and will go to resources and services for local families that need your support.
6. SPREAD THE WORD, and invite your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to join the campaign. Form a team from your workplace, school, local club or organization.
7. VOLUNTEER at the event and help coordinate the activities in your community. As well, businesses are welcome to promote the event and donate giveaways to participants.

We thank our current 2013 national sponsors:  

Defeat Depression Campaign Song

International Singer, Songwriter and Author, Emily Maguire is supporting the campaign by dedicating her hit song, "Keep Walking" as the Defeat Depression National Anthem. This moving tribute is featured on our webpage and is played at all events. Thank you Emily for providing the campaign with such a perfect song! You can view a special message from Emily as well as listen to the campaign song here.

Mood Disorders Society of Canada voted 2013 Lead Charity, will receive $25,000 donation from Gamma-Dynacare

MDSC is extremely pleased that Gamma-Dynacare has selected Mood Disorders Society of Canada as their 2013 Lead Charity. MDSC will be the recipient of a $25,000 donation, which will be used to support much needed initiatives that tackle mental health issues.

Gamma-Dynacare is one of Canada's largest and most respected providers of laboratory services and solutions, with more than 50 years of experience serving Canadians. Each day, they support tens of thousands of patients, health care professionals and public and private sector clients with the efficient collection and transportation of specimens, accurate testing in their state-of-the-art laboratories and prompt reporting of results. With over two hundred service centres across Canada and over 2,000 employees, Gamma-Dynacare is a trusted leader in transforming laboratory information and services into solutions that improve health, wellness and the Canadian health care system.

"We are very excited to bring light to mental illness by working in partnership with MDSC. We hope to battle stigma and help provide important supports for people in our communities," says Scott Hickey, Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Corporate Communications at Gamma-Dynacare. "At Gamma-Dynacare, not only are we committed to providing valuable diagnostic information to patients and clinicians, but it is also imperative for us to promote health and wellness in our communities. Our Corporate Giving and Community Outreach programs are designed to impact the lives of Canadians living in the communities we serve, and by supporting MDSC and its initiatives, we hope to assist in creating meaningful change for those suffering from mood disorders."

Gama-Dynacare recognizes the debilitating effects of depression and other mood disorders, and by supporting MDSC and our initiatives, they plan on addressing stigma and how perceptions of mental illness affect sufferers and their search for help. Mental illness takes a devastating physical and emotional toll, and Gamma-Dynacare is aiming to minimize those effects by encouraging awareness of mood disorders and advocating open dialogue of mental health concerns. Depression impacts virtually every Canadian family.  It is estimated that ten percent of Canadians will experience a major depression within their lifetime. Roughly 4.5 % of Canadians are depressed at any one point in time. To give a snapshot of how depression impacts families, 91% of Canadians with children say that their depression often or sometimes interferes with family life, and 47% say that their depression interferes with their relationship with their spouse or partner.

Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network (CDRIN)

Further information about CDRIN will be available on its website, www.cdrin.org.

In furthering our PTSD efforts, MDSC is commencing work on a groundbreaking national PTSD Continuing Medical Education (CME) program in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association,  the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network to enhance the knowledge of PTSD and how best to treat it.  MDSC has established a PTSD Expert Advisory Panel which has representation from:  Native Mental Health Association of Canada, McMaster University (Parkwood Operational Stress Injury Clinic), Wounded Warriors, Canadian Psychological Association, Canadian Forces Health Services Centre, University of Toronto (Women's College Hospital), Traumatology Institute (Canada), Canadian Medical Association, and the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

MDSC has received funding from Health Canada to develop a national PTSD training program for Canada's family physicians and specialists. This represents an exciting opportunity for the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to educate and change the perceptions of family physicians and specialists about persons affected by PTSD. The overarching aim of this initiative will be to improve the delivery of health services to individuals and their families suffering from PTSD in Canada. Strategic partners for this initiative include the Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network (CDRIN), the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Native Mental Health Association of Canada, McMaster University (Parkwood Operational Stress Injury Clinic), Wounded Warriors, Canadian Psychological Association, Canadian Forces Health Services Centre, University of Toronto (Women's College Hospital), Traumatology Institute (Canada), Canadian Medical Association, and the Canadian Psychiatric Association. 

MDSC is a proud founding member of CAMIMH which is a national collaboration of associations representing health care providers, service providers and consumer and family groups. MDSC would like to congratulate CAMIMH on the recent, very successful Champions of Mental Health Awards ceremonies held in Ottawa. This year their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston joined the ceremonies expressing their commitment to helping improve mental health and wellbeing. 

We are very pleased to have formed a partnership with the Canadian Nurses Association and the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a training program to reduce mental health stigma in the health care setting and among Nurses and the health care professionals. This program comes about through the realization that stigma exists within all sectors of society, however, it is of paramount concern to our organizations that we offer health care providers with the education that is applicable to their specific occupation with appropriate tools and resources to ensure community health care is provided free of stigma and discrimination.  New directions for training of health care professionals include defining the determinants of stigma, providing information and knowledge in an unbiased manner, addresses the unintended propagation of stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours, teaching person-friendly terminology, and is cemented within the scope of need of health care professionals; from a mental health person-centred perspective.

Mood Disorders Society of Canada is very excited to have partnered with the Arthritis Society on a groundbreaking three year project addressing depression and arthritis. The project will tackle the co-morbidity of mood disorders and chronic disease and is national in scope. We will be providing more details in the near future.

MDSC offers the What Better Feels Like project. The program supports are the results of interviewing persons from across Canada who described how they have worked their way through depression and what, to them, feeling better is. The project features the lived experiences of individuals who have been through depression. The project provides testimonials shared through the Answers from People Who Have Experienced Depression report. The project also offers a Guide to Maintaining Wellness designed to assist individuals in their recovery. The plan is holistic and practical and written in easy-to-follow and encouraging language.  Visit the  What Better Feels Like webpage to learn more .

MDSC provides a safe virtual place to discuss mental illness issues in a supportive environment through our web-based Discussion Forum which continues to be one of the most visited places on our website. The forum has surpassed 25,000 posts with more than 1,600 discussion threads. If you are looking for a safe place to share your experiences, seek peer support, or offer your knowledge to others, we encourage you to join the Forum. You can find the Forum link on the front page of our website. 

Our Social Media Network 

MDSC is continuously connecting and sharing with Canadians through our social media platforms. We have over 10,000 followers who share ideas, news, successes, personal experiences, thoughts and viewpoints. Like us and Follow us to keep updated on mental health news in Canada and throughout the world. Sign up, share your thoughts, provide us with feedback and keep yourself up to date with our work.

Mood Disorders Society of Canada depends on the generosity of Canadians to support our work. Please make a donation to help us help others. If you would like to provide a donation to MDSC online, simply click on the CanadaHelps image and follow the instructions carefully.

Please make sure to talk with your family about mental health